A Mercy Case

My parents have often said to me, “Are you contemplating the eternal verities again?” It is a sweet reminder to not get too lost in contemplation, in books, or in oneself, and thus let other blessings of life pass by unnoticed. Sometimes I think I have wasted valuable time in thought, but at other times, the fruit of reflection has been priceless, a gift from the Giver.

There are many truths to be learned, and many ways to say them, but at this moment I want to focus on one.

In the Disney movie “Aladdin” (which my mom bought for me many years ago for my birthday), the main character Aladdin is called the “diamond in the rough.” The central moment when we learn about why he is called this is as follows. Aladdin, a poor youth, is homeless and hungry, and so he steals a loaf of bread from the marketplace. The police chase after him, but he evades them after great exertion. Finally, he is alone with his bread, when all of a sudden, two meek homeless children appear, clearly in great need of food. Aladdin struggles with himself for a moment, and yet quickly decides that he should give them the bread. The faces of the two kids light up with joy.

In my own life, I have seen diamonds. I have many fond memories of camping throughout the Northeast and Canada (thanks to Keewaydin camp in Vermont). Our motto was “Help the Other Fellow.” We were taught to overlook our own needs, and think of others before ourselves. I remember being on long camping trips when there was never enough food to go around, and if there was enough for seconds, everybody wanted it. Other times, there were dirty and painful chores to be done, which everyone avoided. In those moments, the diamonds began to shine. Certain people would carry the extra weight. They would forgo extra food, so that someone else could enjoy it. It was beautiful and awe-inspiring.

But this path leads us ever deeper. There are many questions we can ask of ourselves. How often do we argue a point just for the sake of hearing ourselves come out on top? How often do we choose sleep instead of the morning prayer? How often do we just plain admit we were wrong before something negative happened to us as a consequence of something we did, said, or choose? Not very often, unfortunately.

When we look inside, we realize that our own souls are one of our greatest enemies in this life. They lead us into divorce, into bankruptcy, into jail, and many other places we don’t want to be. Oftentimes, we look for external causes, but almost always, if we get real with ourselves, we realize we have none but ourselves to blame.

Once, one of the early Muslims was making fervent supplication near the Ka’ba. Someone overhead him repeating over and over again, “Dear God, save me from the greed of my own soul (Allahumma qini shuhha nafsi)!” Later, the one who overheard him asked him why he made that prayer, to which he responded, “If God saves me from the greed of my own soul, I will be able to accomplish everything. I will worship God in the best of manners, and I will give all of creation its due rights.”

Dear God, please save us all from the greed of our own souls. Amen.